Changemakers for Youth Programme 2027 for Social Entrepreneurs Aged 18 to 35

What you receive

• Customised, needs based online capacity building led by experts and practitioners with lived experience.
• A five day in person summit in a nature based location in the region, built around peer learning, wellbeing and collaboration.
• Seed funding for cross-border projects that participants co-create from late March 2027.
• ChangemakerXchange covers summit accommodation, catering, local transportation, venue, materials, facilitation and post summit capacity building.
• Introductions to a wider ecosystem of partners, experts, supporters and funders, including the networks of the Drosos Foundation.
• Lifelong membership of the ChangemakerXchange community of nearly 1,600 changemakers across more than 130 countries.

Who can apply

• You must be between 18 and 35 years old.
• You must permanently live, work in or create impact in Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Switzerland or Tunisia.
• You must hold a leadership or decision-making role in an active social or environmental venture or organisation. You do not need to be the original founder.
• Your initiative must strengthen the agency and skills of young people, be youth-led, or place young people as the key target group.
• You need enough English to take part fully, since the programme and the summit run in English.
• Changemakers based anywhere in Germany qualify as long as the project creates tangible impact in Eastern Germany.

Who should not apply

• Employees or volunteers without a leadership role in the initiative cannot apply.
• Travel and visa costs to the summit city are not covered.
• This cohort does not open to countries outside the eight listed, though ChangemakerXchange runs other programmes worldwide.

Documents to prepare

• A complete application submitted through the Changemakers for Youth application form before the deadline.
• A clear account of your venture or organisation, your leadership role in it, and the youth focused impact it creates.

How to apply

• Read the programme page and its FAQs at changemakerxchange.org and check that your country, age and role fit.
• Open the Changemakers for Youth 2027 application form from the Apply now link on this listing.
• Submit a complete application before 9 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC+2.
• Keep your evenings free for the online interview window, 20 November to 19 December 2026.
• Confirm your availability for the February to March 2027 programme dates if you are selected.

Selection process

• Applications are first checked against the eligibility criteria.
• Eligible applications are reviewed by multiple members of the ChangemakerXchange team and community.
• Reviewers weigh the initiative's stage, impact or impact potential, innovation, sustainability and programme fit, along with the applicant's values, mindset, motivation and readiness to participate.
• Shortlisted candidates are invited to a 30 to 45 minute informal online interview.
• Final decisions also consider the diversity and overall composition of the cohort, announced 13 January 2027.
• All applicants hear the outcome, though the volume of applications rules out individual feedback.

Sources and verification

• Official source

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